Glen Mills, PA, December 2012 – A powerful, validated method to link human capital investment performance with shareholder value is at the heart of a new book, Optimize Human Capital Investments: Make the “Hard” Business Case, by Frank DiBernardino, founder and managing principal of Vienna Human Capital Advisors, LLC.

The book features DiBernardino’s patented Vienna Index, a set of financial formulas that measure the ROI, Productivity and Liquidity of the human capital investment, and a comprehensive, cascading analytic method that identifies the specific human capital strategies that drive business performance improvement and enhanced enterprise value. The book also includes a method to measure the precise impact on shareholder value of human capital investments.

Making the “hard” business case for human capital investments has been a challenge for HR professionals. “HR leaders have long needed a credible, compelling tool to demonstrate to the CEO and the board the financial impact of human resource initiatives on the company’s bottom line and shareholder value,” according to DiBernardino, who has 35+ years of HR consulting experience with some of the largest employers in the country.

Frank Zirnkilton, managing director of Broad Reach Management observed: “As a former CFO who relied heavily on metrics to help support the management of disparate businesses, I welcome Frank DiBernardino’s contribution to the HR metrics management tool kit. For too long, managers have been limited by their ability to quantify, at an organizational level, the contribution of their human capital to the success of their business. With his book, Frank introduces us to a new way to measure and track our progress toward improving not only the efficiency, but also the effectiveness of an organization’s human capital.”

Tom Clardy, former QVC senior vice president – Human Resources, noted: “The Vienna Index is an excellent and efficient tool to capture and analyze the true cost and productivity of all of the human capital engaged in the organization. The Vienna approach provides reliable, comprehensive and complete measurement that is consistent globally. It is the future of human capital analytics.”

Confirming the need for the Vienna methods, David Bush Ph.D., Director, Graduate Programs in Human Resource Development for Villanova University, said: “I am in constant search for breakthrough ideas that will help human resource executives be of greater strategic value to their organizations. Frank DiBernardino has cracked the code with the formulas and analytic methods described in Optimize Human Capital Investments. Frank does indeed show how to make the hard business case for human capital investments. The formulas and methods Frank developed are a worthy addition to the human capital analytics body of knowledge.”

Click here to view a 14 minute interview with the author Frank DiBernardino.

About the Author, Frank DiBernardinoA thought leader in the evolving field of HR metrics and human capital analytics, Frank, a 35+ year veteran of the human resources consulting world, is the founder and managing principal of Vienna Human Capital Advisors LLC. Over his career, Frank has consulted with organizations in manufacturing, energy, health care, pharmaceuticals, transportation, financial services, technology, and academia. Before launching Vienna HCA in 2003, Frank was a principal at Mercer. His background includes strategic planning, consulting practice leadership, client relationship management, labor negotiations, underwriting and line management.

Frank serves on the SHRM Measures and Metrics Task Force which is developing American National Standards for Human Resources. Frank has served on the Board of Directors of the American Benefits Council, the Employers’ Council on Flexible Compensation, and the Editorial Advisory Board of Benefits Quarterly. In addition, he is a founder and past president of the Penjerdel Employee Benefits and Compensation Association.

ISBN: 978-1-4575-1380-0

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Vienna HCA receives a U.S. Patent on measuring the ROI, Productivity and Liquidity of the human capital investmentA powerful, dynamic decision support tool makes a solid business case for investments in human capital

Glen Mills, PA, February 9, 2012—Vienna Human Capital Advisors (Vienna HCA) today announced that it received a patent (U.S. Patent No. 7,983,945) on its breakthrough method to measure the financial performance of a company’s investment in human capital, announced Frank DiBernardino, Managing Principal of Vienna HCA.

Businesses are highly motivated to identify the return on their human capital investment because it is often the #1 or #2 highest expenditure of the business. Vienna’s patented metrics and associated analytic process are designed to determine the precise HR actions necessary to drive improved business performance.

Financial Metrics for Human ResourcesThe Vienna methods were developed because organizations have been searching for a financially credible method to measure the performance of the human capital, or people investment, in the businesses. As the saying goes: You can’t manage what you can’t measure.

“The Vienna formulas were developed for Human Resource executives to credibly measure the performance of the company’s people investment, in financial terms, similar to other areas of the business. It also determines whether the human capital financial performance is at an acceptable level, consistent across divisions or geographies, and how results are trending over time” according to Frank DiBernardino, Managing Principal and Founder.

Joseph W. Birriel, formerly Executive Vice President and head of Human Resources for Hilb, Rogal & Hobbs observed: “The Vienna return on investment (ROI) and productivity formulas captures how effectively a company is utilizing its human capital to contribute to the value of the business.”

Developed over a four year period in collaboration with, vetted by and field tested with, CFOs, private equity executives and investment bankers, the formulas have passed the Finance smell test.

Employing these methods help HR executives make a compelling business case for the human capital strategy changes necessary to continuously improve the financial performance of the business. The Vienna patented methods gives HR professionals the firepower needed for C-suite commitments and the financial resources to effect positive change in their organizations.

About Vienna HCAVienna HCA is an HR consulting firm that provides strategic advice to companies on all aspects of human capital strategy. Vienna’s focus is on human capital strategy alignment with business strategy to achieve business objectives. The company was founded in 2004 by Frank DiBernardino.

Frank is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Measures and Metrics Standards Taskforce and was appointed to the U.S. Technical Advisory Group for the International Organization of Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee 260 for Human Resource Management. Frank has served on the Board of Directors of the American Benefits Council, The Employers Council on Flexible Compensation, and the Editorial Advisory Board of Benefits Quarterly.

Vienna HCA Presents Human Capital Investment Measurement at HR Analytics Conference in Jakarta, Indonesia –Global organizations learn how to measure and improve the ROI of their largest investment…people

Glen Mills, PA, December 8, 2010— Vienna Human Capital Advisors (Vienna HCA) recently presented its breakthrough method to measure human capital investment financial performance, the Vienna Human Capital Index, at a program given by Frank DiBernardino, Managing Principal of Vienna HCA. The workshop was conducted at the New Human Capital Analytics conference held on September 28-29, 2010, in Jakarta, Indonesia, in conjunction with Husin Intelligence Group, an international training company. Future conferences are planned for 2011 in Bangkok, Thailand and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Contact Vienna HCA for dates and details.

The two-day workshop was attended by CEOs and Chief Human Resource Officers (CHROs) from global companies in the food, telecom, financial, oil & gas, construction and automotive industries struggling with the issues of credibly measuring and maximizing the return on their investments in human capital. According to Maspiyono Handoyo, CEO of Fonterra Brands Indonesia—a global dairy products company, “It was fantastic to be exposed to valuable quantitative measures to help with important issues surrounding hiring and HR investments. Vienna’s expertise in this field made a crucial and complex topic easier to understand for executives, like me, who do not have a specific background in HR metrics. I am excited about taking this back to my team and applying it to our business.”

Metrics for Human Resources

The Vienna Index was developed because, until now, there has been no financially credible method to measure the financial performance of the human capital, or people investment, even though it is the #1 or #2 largest expenditure in most businesses. Simply stated: Vienna Human Capital Index calculates the financial performance (ROI, Productivity and Liquidity) of a company’s investment in human capital. It was designed for Human Resource executives to be able to credibly measure the financial performance of the company’s investment in its people, in a similar manner to metrics for other areas of the business. The Vienna Index determines if the company’s investment in human capital is adding to or destroying the value of the business, whether the financial performance is at an acceptable level, and consistent across divisions or geographies. Employing this method helps HR executives make a compelling business case for the human capital strategy changes necessary to continuously improve the financial performance of the business.

According to Erwin Husin, President of Husin Intelligence Group, Indonesia, and sponsor of the Jakarta conference, “We were so impressed by the level of interest in the topic of HR Analytics by senior level executives from so many industries. Our delegates said this kind of training is what they have been looking for and none of the other HR consulting firms provide what the Vienna Index and Frank DiBernardino offer. The message was clearly stated: If organizations don’t know their numbers, they cannot compete globally. I strongly recommend HR executives engage with Vienna to learn more about incorporating this New Human Capital Analytics approach into their businesses.”

The two-day program also showed how to analyze the results and identify a set of human capital strategies that will result in business improvements, through the use of a comprehensive “strategy map” that connects Index results to actions and financial implications. A continuous improvement management tool, the Vienna Human Capital Index and Human Capital Strategy Map are recurring activities consisting of measurement, analysis, strategy development, and execution. The program also included a method to calculate the impact on shareholder value of HR strategy changes, and a set of rules to help companies decide on growth versus human capital ROI investment priorities.

A detailed case study was reviewed on how the Vienna Index and strategy map were successfully applied to a financial services company that had wide performance variance between its business units, and a widespread organic growth problem. Using the Vienna Index to measure results and the strategy map to identify the most worthy strategies to improve results, we were able to demonstrate that an investment of only $2M would increase shareholder value by an estimated $75M.

About Vienna HCAVienna HCA is an HR consulting firm that provides strategic advice to companies on all aspects of human capital strategy. Vienna’s focus is on alignment with business strategy to achieve business objectives. The company was founded by Frank DiBernardino.

Frank has served on the Board of Directors of the American Benefits Council, The Employers Council on Flexible Compensation, and the Editorial Advisory Board of Benefits Quarterly. In addition, Frank is past President of PEBA, (The Penjerdel Employee Benefits and Compensation Association). He has been awarded the professional designations of Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS) and Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU). He is also a member of the recently formed Society for Human Resource Managers (SHRM) Measures and Metrics Standards Taskforce.

Radnor, PA – Vienna Human Capital Advisors, LLC (Vienna HCA) is pleased to announce the launch of The Vienna Human Capital Performance Index™ (The Vienna Index™), a patent-pending business intelligence tool that measures the financial performance of an organization’s total human capital investment. This solution fulfills a long-standing need among Human Resource executives for an accurate and reliable means to determine how their investment in human capital impacts company profits.

Developed by Vienna HCA, along with a team of strategic human capital specialists, CFOs, private equity executives and investment bankers, the Vienna Index uses auditable data from a company’s financial system and applies patent-pending financial formulas to measure the ROI, Productivity and Liquidity of a company’s entire investment in human capital. A set of operational measures drill down to provide segmented analyses by business unit and cost item to identify opportunities to improve profitability and increase enterprise value.

“This direct, substantive approach provides an unprecedented opportunity for HR executives, in collaboration with their Finance colleagues, to provide accurate and credible measures of the organization’s human capital investment to the executive team and the Board,” said Frank DiBernardino, founder and managing principal of Vienna HCA.

“HR leaders have been looking for a tool to help them make the business case for the changes in HR strategy they know are necessary to improve overall business performance. The Vienna Index will give heads of HR the financial information needed to get the financial resources and C-Suite commitment to effect positive change in the organization,” said Eileen Clark, former Senior Vice President, Human Resources at Amerisource Bergen.

Offered as a web-based software application, the Vienna Index features dashboard views that visually monitor how an organization’s human capital investment performs as a whole and against internal benchmarks. Additionally, “what-if” projections are included that enable leaders to pinpoint areas where changes in human capital strategy can help to improve the human capital ROI and overall business performance.

The Vienna Human Capital Performance Index is available through Vienna HCA or one of its strategic distribution partners or agents.

About Vienna HCA and The Vienna Human Capital Performance Index™Vienna Human Capital Advisors helps companies better leverage their people assets for greater business growth and success. Drawing upon its broad knowledge in the human capital space, our team of former Chief Human Resource Officers (CHROs), in collaboration with our clients, craft custom solutions to unique problems in four critical people management areas: Talent, Rewards, Culture and HR Services. For more information about the Vienna Human Capital Performance Index, contact Frank DiBernardino at 610-225-2060 or visit our website at www.viennaindex.com.

About Vienna

Testimonials

As a former CFO who relied heavily on metrics to help support the management of disparate business. I welcome Vienna's contribution to the management toolkit. For too long, managers have been limited by their inability to quantify, at an organization level, the contribution of their human capital to the success of their business. Vienna introduces us to a new way to measure and track our progress toward improving not only the efficiency, but also the effectiveness of an organization's human capital." From a former CFO … - LEARN MORE